Robofirm explains the magic of “unboxing” as a 21st century marketing phenomena. It’s now easy to shoot a video using a smartphone and easy to upload on to a video sharing website such as Youtube, which is viewed by millions each day all around the world. In addition, acting as a spontaneous spokesperson in the video is fun and viewers can share the excitement over opening a package for the first time. Unwrapping may have come in a close second to discovering our name on a ribbon-bound box.
Where to Unbox
While YouTube is not the only video sharing website, it’s the Carnegie Hall of unboxing videos. You don’t want to be unboxing anywhere else. According to Think With Google, which offers insights on data around trends, the popularity of unboxing videos has leaped 57% since last year.
While brands are trying to get in on the act, fumbling user-generated videos appeal more to the general public. They identify with the clumsy unboxer over the urbane spokesperson.
Your unboxing videos can help your business sell its products better if they’re closer to a raw, uncut version.
Why to Unbox
Many small business owners are surprised when tipped off about using unboxing as a marketing strategy. Tearing open a box and describing its contents seems like such an unremarkable thing to do in an era where Pixar’s Sheriff Woody Pride, a wooden doll, can become a box office movie star.
Unboxing videos work because they stir deep-seated psychological drives.
First, it’s about timing. The anticipation of Christmas creates a miscellany of nostalgic memories in the viewer.
Second, there is a vicarious thrill in watching someone unpacking something brand new in the marketplace—like, say, an $8,000 toy robot; perhaps, even getting a little sentimental about it as he tries to teach it to look him in the eyes.
Third, it’s informative. There is much to learn about something that you might want to gift a loved one.
Then, of course, there’s the medium. With video, feel you’re right there in the room with the person as they open the box. Perhaps, you’re even calming down the family dog alarmed by the animated toy.
What to Unbox
You can unbox anything you like. If you position it right, there will be an audience for it. If somebody is manufacturing it, retailers are ordering it, and people are buying it off the shelves, then it’s something that a certain percentage of the population want to see unwrapped before their eyes.
With that said, the most popular categories are Luxury and High Tech. In fact, the more expensive the better, as it appeals to people’s repressed sense of conspicuous consumption.
Luxury products have an “ooh and ah” factor that makes them appealing to viewers. Usually, they are elaborately packaged, which adds to the thrill of finding out what’s in the box. Then, when they’re finally freed from the tangle of delicate tissue paper, the unwrapper goes into an altered state of consciousness because of the sensual look and feel of the luxury product.
Tech products have a “wow” factor that makes them appealing to viewers. Usually, geeks love poring over the “new,” “improved,” or “never-before seen” functionality of a new device. Since the unpacker and the viewers all belong to this subculture of love for bright, shiny objects with electronic circuits, there is a sense of peer-to-peer camaraderie. It’s a collective sense of awe that the future is here now. Again, the higher the price tag, the greater the “wow” factor tends to be.
How to Unbox
Here are some quick tips on how to unpack in style when you go live:
- Be authentic. Avoid trying to look too polished or well-rehearsed. Ad hoc lines work best. Viewers value a genuine emotional reaction over a glib presentation.
- Avoid the salesy approach. It’s enough to have a link at the bottom. If you come across too strong, the viewer is simply going to click away.
- You can even do a parody, like IKEA manages to pull off. If you can get people to chuckle, you’re winning them over. Over 18 million people have viewed “Experience the power of a BookBook” which humorously promotes their 2015 Catalogue from a techy angle.
The $5 Million Unboxer
Finally, to motivate you, here’s a perfect testimony to how wildly successful unboxing can be. On the DC Toys Collector (DC) channel, an anonymous woman with exquisitely painted nails extracts toys from packages and neatly assembles them. Based on the number of views, it’s estimated that the presenters are making millions opening Disney toy packages.
Here are the facts of the story from Rob Wile:
“An unidentified individual or group responsible for uploading videos that simply show a woman opening Disney toys and made an estimated $4.9 million last year, more than any other channel for 2014, according to OpenSlate, a video analytics platform that analyzes ad-supported content on YouTube.”